Page 23 of Crown of Chaos

“Such a naughty boy,” I hissed, smiling cruelly as he shook with fear. “You like to rough the ladies up, don’t you, Daddy?” My husky tone vibrated through the room, and I bit my lip as my magic forced him to speak the truth.

“I love their screams,” Hal admitted stupidly.

“Too bad I can’t enjoy yours.” I snorted, sending my magic down his throat to mute him while I lifted the other hand, ripping his dick from his groin. His eyes widened in pain, and I turned, finding the girl smiling beside me. “You get one chance to hurt him for what he did. Use it wisely,” I whispered.

I silently observed her walk to a drawer to retrieve a large blade. The slender, scarred girl moved to the struggling man and then drove the knife deep into his torso. Once I was sure he was dead, I placed a hand on her shoulder, barely preventing the blade she aimed at me from reaching its goal.

Tears were streaking down her cheeks, and my gaze went to the wrist I held, finding a silver bracelet on it, marking her property of the sleazy people who had owned her. I used my magic to unlock the mechanism, and the sound of it falling to the ground jarred her from her mind.

“You saved me.” She sobbed, dropping the knife to wrap her arms around her middle. “They were monsters.”

“So am I,” I offered, frowning when she stepped back. “You’re free now.”

“Monsters don’t save slaves from their owners,” she whispered as soft sobs rocked through her body. She hiccupped and peered down at the dead couple.

“Oh, but they do. I’m learning that not every monster is bad. Sometimes, they’re just people who are trying to undo terrible things. Someone once told me I’d make a horrible villain. He might be right, but I’m still a monster, and I’ll be here at the end of my story and the closing of this book.”

She blinked, and I shrugged, knowing she hadn’t been reading the same bedtime stories as I had.

“I need a pack and the dresses from the clothesline, and then I need to leave. My friends are on one of those wagons, and there’s a feeding frenzy because the slavers are allowing the merchandise to be sampled.”

The girl nodded, rushing to do as I asked. I didn’t wait for her to return before I exited the house and headed to the wagon holding Esme and Avy. I could hear them struggling against men, fighting to remain untouched. A soft hum slipped from my lips as I wandered closer, knowing I was the biggest threat present today.

I stared at the men grabbing women, ripping their dresses down the middle to grope them. My feet moved, but I focused on pulling magic and wrapping it around me, and I felt Knox’s awareness that I’d forcefully yanked it back to me. I sensed him tugging our connected thread, stroking my mind as if he sensed me, and was sending me a rush of warmth through the link. Or, maybe it was a warning he wasn’t far away? That thought made me almost lose my footing.

Humming Miranda Lambert and Carry Underwood’s “Somethin’ Bad,” making it sound creepy as it echoed through the village. Men turned, staring at where I walked down the middle of the road toward them. My feet were bare, and my toes felt good against the earthen path, forcing nature to regard me as deeply as I did it.

I smoothed my hands over my hips and smiled coyly as they took in my tousled hair and blood-splattered silver dress. And, well, everywhere else was painted crimson too, but washrooms were hard to find here. Murder was messy, but then, so was this entire world. I winked at Esme, who stood holding her ripped, dirty garment against her chest closed as she watched me.

“Gentlemen, it would seem you’ve created a tremendous problem for yourselves,” I announced, resting my hand on my hip, grinning demurely as they began inching closer. “So, this is how we’re going to handle it. You’re all about to die horribly. I decided that on my way down here from where I just slaughtered a delightful couple—well, that’s a lie. They were fucking horrid, honestly. And since we probably shouldn’t start our relationship out in such a manner, I’ll admit that I decided before that.”

I called for rain, watching it hit only the men who stood around unchained. They started toward me, and I raised my hand, locking them into place. “I wouldn’t move. It’s about to get electrifying.” I snorted, hearing the distant sound of rumbling thunder.

The slavers were drenched in the rain that I’d called. I pointed my finger to the sky, causing them all to gaze upward. Lightning shot down violently, frying them as their bodies jolted and shook with spasms, and igniting their eyes in an ultraviolet color. Whispering a spell, I brought forth the people in town who enjoyed and prospered from the slave trade occurring here, sentencing them to the same fate as their friends. When I finished, I turned, smiling at Esme.

“Ta-da!” I announced with my arms held wide, wiggling my brows.

“It fucking took you long enough,” Esme snapped, crossing her arms over her ruined dress.

I deflated, placing my hands on my hips. “Tell me that wasn’t a badass entrance. I just killed them with lightning. How many other people do you know who can do that?” I scoffed, offended that she hadn’t clapped or anything.

“It was pretty cool, but it would have been way better if you’d done it three days ago! Those bastards groped and prodded me, then bathed us and brushed our teeth to ensure they got top dollar! Did you atleastmurder Rhett while you were fucking around?”

I folded my arms across my chest, knowing Ember hadn’t caught him during her killing spree. When I didn’t answer quickly enough, Esme exhaled and made a strangled sound in her throat.

“Forget it. I’m exhausted, and you look like you have fed on half the realm,” she complained.

“I killed dinner for you.” Hiking my thumb over my shoulder, I indicated the men and women still twitching from the voltage running through them. “They’re even slightly cooked.” Her lips jerked up into an awkward smile, and she sighed.

“You’re the worst rescuer ever, but thank you for not leaving us to die,” Esme whispered awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. “I thought you were dead, or that possibly you’d escaped and hadn’t been able to get to us.”

“I was busy being held captive, but I discovered who had placed the bounty on my head. Ember also ate an entire village. But I didn’t forget you, Esmeralda, because that’s what we do for one another,” I promised, holding out my arms, and she folded into them. “We’re friends, perhaps even best friends.”

“Don’t push it, Aria.”

“Not pushing.” I smiled over at Avyanna, who had been hanging back. “Bring it in, Avy.”

She grunted and rolled her eyes. Esme backed up, and we turned to find the folks who had been brought to be sold, staring at us like we were freaks. “We should probably go.”

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